Steinhoff sentenced for local toddler death; father speaks out

Toledo -- A Lucas county man accused of beating his girlfriend's son to death has learned his punishment for the crime. And the little boy's father is speaking out.

News 11 had the only cameras in the courtroom when the judge sentenced Kenneth Steinhoff to 18 years in prison Tuesday morning. He pled guilty to beating his girlfriend's son to death.

Steinhoff, 27, was charged with murder in August. While babysitting, he called 9-1-1 saying 22-month old Jason Bauer fell off a bunkbed, hit his head and laid unconscious.

During the investigation, Steinhoff admitted that the boy was playing in the cupboards, and he spanked the toddler to punish him when the boy's head hit a cabinet. He said the boy then fell, hitting his head on the floor. He later died in the hospital.

In court Tuesday morning, the boy's biological father did not accept Steinhoff's apology. He said after court, "I wanted to jump up and whoop his #$&% ass. Excuse my language, but that's my baby boy at 22 months. He didn't do nothing to him. I want to do to him what he did to my son. Give me ten minutes with him."

Also, the judge said he still didn't believe Steinhoff's story, claiming if this case would have gone to trial and Steinhoff found guilty, he'd have had no problems sentencing him to life in prison.